Yesterday it was warm and sunny and I went with a friend to another friend's farm in a village not so far from our town.

Life there is so different than in the cities. Work is working on the land and the animals, all food comes from their own land and animals and every where is some kind of food. pumpkins lying around either to be cooked or still in the fields.

Chicken walking around everywhere, providing eggs and also meat eventually.

I even found a chicken between my car and tire :)

Pretty flowers on balconies and in front of the houses.

And an extending sheep family :)

We were send home with lots of food, including these gorgeous pomegranates, mandarins and almonds.

Eating pomegranates is a hassle, but I love squeezing them for their delicious and gorgeous colored juice!

Thursday, 27 October 2016

After the large tassels for the ornaments I showed on Monday, here are some tiny tassels. Making tassels with forks was a big surprise looking at the reactions on Instagram, but my mother learned it like that in Spain at school :)

After finishing the tassels I added brass caps with loops for a more chicer finishing. I then threaded them with many tiny glass seed beads and brass beads in to multi layered necklaces.

For now one in shades of blue, green and turquoise...

And one in shades of pink, peach and purple but more shades are in the planning.

Monday, 24 October 2016

Now that Christmas shopping season is approaching (not so much yet as the elections are of course a scarier issue) we are making ornaments. We like to make a few new types every season, they are always in small editions which makes it fun to make and more special for those who buy them :)

This year we actually made them even more special by making our own handmade tassels! They are so much richer and fuller than the ready bought ones, making them look just way prettier :)

This is done with a fringe maker. After Mum winds the yarn, thread etc around it, I sew it several times with the sewing machine making a fringe. Then I round it up to make it a tassel with some hand sewing and a bead cap or beads for a pretty finishing touch.

We are now working on some iridescent and shiny tassels for some extra festive ornaments :)
These and more are available at Star Home Studio.

Thursday, 20 October 2016

Not far from our town is a smaller town in an amazing bay called Dalyan.

Yesterday I made a necklace inspired by this place. Beside its obvious beauty it is especially know for being the beach where every Summer about 2000 Loggerhead Sea turtles (Caretta caretta) lay their eggs. The hatching of the eggs is a big attraction and there are many volunteers to keep the beaches safe for them but also to check for wounded turtles.

I made the necklace with large pieces of Variscite stone resembling the bay, and a vintage sterling silver sea turtle with moving petals and feet.

There is a sea turtle research, rescue and rehabilitation center where people from all over the world come to volunteer passionately, their website is DeKamer (in English).

I'm very happy how the necklace turned out, it really feels like a piece of home for me :)

Dalyan has also huge and ancient grave tombs carved out in the mountains and is about an hour drive from us, the entire Mediterranean coast is full with amazing bays and beaches with loads of history too.

The necklace is available at Star of the East, and if you ever decide to visit, let us know :)

Monday, 17 October 2016

Another Kilim wave today, I love how the texture and colors of these beauties makes everything so much more special!
This bag is another doctor's bag but much larger than the one we sold, it can be used as a weekender, won't that make your trip stylish?

The leather is upcycled too, eco friendly till we drop ;) And is available at StarBags.

This Kilim is in good state and too pretty to cut up! It can be used as rug, as a big cover for a large cushion or can be used in less classic ways like hanging above your bed...

Esther and Estella

We are a mother and daughter team (Esther & Estella), creating jewelry, bags, clothing and home decor. Nature is our biggest inspiration and often a great source for materials too! We like to blog about our creative processes, our new creations, fun things from Turkey, life with our big pack of doggies and everything else...